Hip Hip HoRay!
There are also those of us settled with uncommon surnames that have more then one source of creation...Like Gilpin...Out of 19 men tested... there are 5 distinct unrelated genetic lineages.
Proven by documentation - Gilpin, is Irish, Scottish English and French. Which one are you related to?? At one time we Gilpins thought we were all related.... We are not! genetics proved this.. We also have a proven.. non parental event... Adoption... maybe?? not sure on cause. The two who match had ancesatry in the same area for 500 years...the two families even intermarried proven by paper trail documentation... would that show in a paper trail.......... NO.... it took a YDNA test. The Gilpin had even written a book fully documentated. His family to this day has lived in the Kentmere/ Kent River Valley England since 1276 proven by documentation...

> From:
> Subject: Re: [ROOTS-L] DNA
>
>
> no brick walls? no John Smith's in large cities? no missing records?
> completely documented? no exotic ancestry? you have a perfect
> genealogy and no breaks for generations back? lucky you.
>
> there are other reasons for dna testing far and above mere
> curiosity. those of us who are saddled with common names in large
> places, in burned counties, or who left no paper trail, are left
> without option. we HAVE to test our dna to get anywhere on our
> genealogy. the way you speak of dna, to you, it's a trifle. for us
> who can't trace beyond a great grandfather, I'd say it's more than a
> trifle.
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